Building Teams and Classes

Office of Undergraduate Admission employees live by the mantra: “Stories, not statistics. People, not programs.” For the director of this unit, it’s always been about the people. 

Rick Clark, has been at Tech for almost 12 years and says when he first got involved in undergraduate enrollment here, it was all about helping the students get into college and sharing what makes Tech great. Today, though, Clark, who’s also chair of the Staff Council, says his focus on the “people” portion now includes his staff, which has grown to more than 30 employees.

Read on to learn more about the director of Undergraduate Admission, the man in charge of the unit that keeps Tech ticking with a steady influx of stellar undergraduates.

What path brought you to Tech?

I grew up in Georgia but went to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to study journalism. I was a tour guide there and helped out in Admissions where I realized there was a good confluence of those skills I was studying like: being able to write, public speak, and market. 

After working in Admissions at The McCallie School in Tennessee and Wake Forest University in North Carolina, I ultimately returned to Atlanta when my wife [then fiancé] began her physical therapy degree at Georgia State University. During that time, I worked at Georgia State, utilizing alumni to recruit. I then came to Tech to be in a more traditional setting [where the focus is on recruiting full-time degree-seeking undergraduates from high school]. 

Describe an average day on the job?

Here, it’s not really what a day looks like but more about the year. 

In the fall, we’re very outward-facing. I travel to conferences and speak nationally about Tech and college admission in general. We also do a lot of presenting to visiting families.

But, we hibernate in winter. We’re reading applications and working in committee to make admission decisions. It’s very much a close-the-door-and-roll-up-your-sleeves-and-read situation. 

In the next three or four weeks, though, we’ll host about 6,000 people. So, we go from being holed up in committee, consuming way too much Coke and pizza, to being flooded with visitors. 

The other role I play is year-round: building relationships across campus. I attempt to build relationships with all the Colleges, the Alumni Association, and so on. I try to help them understand how our process works. Some will hear we’ve admitted over 8,000 students and think: ‘We can’t have a class that big,’ but we have to convey that we have to admit that many in order to yield a freshman class of 2,825. We also want them to know how they play a role in bringing in the best possible class — particularly by making themselves available to admitted students. 

What’s the most gratifying part of your job?

My staff. Lots of them are in their 20s, thinking about grad school and starting families while juggling work. I want to support them in all aspects of their lives.  So, I’m really proud that, for the past two years, our office has been named one of the “100 Best Places to Work in Atlanta” by The Atlanta Business Chronicle. It’s gratifying to know we’re being recognized for something I hold dear: a positive culture. 

What do you want your employees have come to mind when they think of your leadership style?

That I’m available to them. My job is to ensure they have the support to be successful. I work for them as much as they work for me. 

Why did you get involved in the Staff Council? 

Undergraduate Admission has always been a good place to work. But over the past few years, we’ve really been able to create a fun and successful team. We even have staff encouraging friends to work here. Through Staff Council, I’d like to share what has worked for us. I have a passion for helping people enjoy their work. 

How do you find work/life balance?

I love spending time with my family, I enjoy and value exercising, and work’s obviously important to me, but I’ve realized you can’t always do all three perfectly every day. Last month, at the bitter end of making admission decisions, I hadn’t even shaved! 

I think balance is too much pressure if you try to measure it every day. Instead, determine whether you’re finding balance in general.